The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 27, 1998
Timothy J Dell, Colchester, VT (US);
Marc R Faucher, S. Burlington, VT (US);
Bruce G Hazelzet, Essex Junction, VT (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method in which ECC bus protection capability can be generated on a memory card in conjunction with a computer system with a built-in ECC capability to reduce data transmission errors. Data generated by the system is transmitted to the card and stored in DRAMs. On a read cycle, the card generates a set of checkbits which are sent to the system on a checkbit bus. The system generates a set of checkbits from the data read from the memory card and compares these checkbits with those received from the memory card. A mismatch indicates transmission error on the bus(s) during a read cycle. Any correctable error is corrected. Data is invalidated if an uncorrectable error is detected. In another embodiment checkbits generated by the system during a write cycle are transmitted to the card an checkbits are generated by the card. These two sets of checkbits are compared and if there is a mismatch data is either flagged as bad or corrected. Furthermore, in one embodiment, if the memory card does 'not know' in advance the type of ECC or H-matrix code resident in the computer system, the card has the capability to determine what H-matrix code is resident and set up a corresponding H-matrix.